Ethnic Study in Myanmar
Kayin

          The Kayin hill tribe villages are mainly concentrated in the mountains and also along the Myanmar- Thai border in Kayin State. The Kayin people like to settle in the foothills, living in bamboo houses raised on stilts, beneath which they keep their live domestic animals; pigs, chickens, and buffalos. The Kayin is a large and diverse group, divided into numerous subgroups. They were originally animists, but some Kayin villages were heavily targeted Christian missionary in the 19th and early 20th centuries, while other villages converted to Buddhism.

Place
Delta and Kayin state

Location
It is locate at the southern part of Myanmar and share the border with Thailand.

Appearance
Black Hair, Fair Complexion, Round Face, Stout Structure

Weather
The weather is tropical climate and annual rainfall is always 180". Annual average temperatures of about 65’F.

Occupation
Farming

Mentality
Hospitality , Honest

Scenery
The shape of the state is long , and narrow. The eastern mountain ranges is passing from north to south and the main Sanlwin river is also flowing like that. The mountain ranges are about 5000' in high. The western side is the low land and only about 100' wide.

Traditional Costumes
The typical dress of both the Kayin men and women are longyi with horizontal stripes. The Kayin costume for women is very attractive and distinctive. Unmarried girls wear loose white V-necked blouses, decorated with tear-shaped beans at the seams. Married Kayin women wear blouses and skirts in hard colors, predominantly red or blue. Men wear blue baggy trousers with red or blue shirts, a simplified version of the women’s blouses. Black Karen men wear black shirts with a red cummerbund or head scarf. The Kayin are thought to make up less than 10% of the total population of Myanmar.

Literature
Their own literature invented by missionaries

Worshipment
Christianity and Buddhism

Regional Products
Timber, teak

Regional Festival
New year festival

Occupation
Farming

Art
Royal Drum, flute

Symbol
Drum

Their Main Products
In case of getting good weather and heavy rain , many of the forest areas are occupying and the skillful timbers are the main products. Rice, Sesmum , Peanut, Rubber, many kinds of beans, juggery , and sugar cane.

Attraction
New Year festival is the essential one and can be observed how they celebrate their traditional boxing competition, their songs, and their attractive dance which is
full with active movement.

New Year festivals
Hervast festivals , traditional boxing competition are very interested activities & one of their traditional dance which is dance with moving bamboo frame on the ground is also famous among other people. Phar Si or royal drum is also their sacred thing.

The followings are the minorities of Kayin.

Sagaw
More than 70% of haying belong, scatter among towns in the delta region such as Taungoo. Although some of them still retain spirit worship, have commented to Buddhism and Christianity. Both men and women wear hand woven longgyi tunics and headdresses. They are so musical and fun loving. They have their own language and literature

Paku
Most of the Paku villages are situated along the Thandaung Myothit-Mawchi road. The dialect of the Paku is the same with Sgaw Kayin. The Paku tunics are white stripes with various embroidery along the lower margins. Women wear the Kayin tunics with Bamar jackets underneath which have long sleeves. Young Pakku ladies wear tunics without jackets.

Moebwa
The Moebwa tribe occupies nine villages in the hills between the Thaukyekat stream and the kanni stream. Men wear long gowns with red and white stripes and trousers, while women wear homemade headdresses, long black jacket, with embroidered edges on embroider black skirts.

Bwe (Thandaung)
Bwe people, who are one of the important sub-groups of the Kayin. There are 42 villages occupied by the Bwe tribe. Bwe women wear black-sleeve jackets trimmed all over with beads and black skirts with white stripe across the middle. Men wear short tunics, either with longyi of Shan type of trousers. They use the written language of the Sgaw as they do not have their own.